My patients know I have been a strong advocate of bone broth for years. There is nothing new about bone broth, except now it's trendy! Actresses are talking about it on Letterman, restaurants are opening up across the US centered around bone broth, and even Kobe Bryant is using it as a recovery drink! The concept of bone broth has been around for a very long time.

Many Asian cuisines have a version of Long Life Broth, often a combination of whole birds and fresh or dried shellfish, with bones, feet and shells contributing their nutrients to the pot. In the 12th century, the “Jewish penicillin” cliché was born when the physician Maimonides wrote that chicken soup “is recommended as an excellent food as well as medication.” In the Caribbean, “cow foot soup,” rich with collagen, is eaten as a strengthening breakfast and for all sorts of ailments.

I recommend bone broth for patients with gastrointestinal inflammation and weakened immune systems specifically but it is a wholesome food that can benefit just about everyone. A study in 2000 showed that chicken soup (made from homemade chicken bone broth) reduced inflammation and symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection. I have seen a lot of claims about the benefits of bone broth, some of which are a bit outrageous but overall I am very glad bone broth is becoming trendy. This means that we are getting back in the kitchen and cooking real food from scratch. What could be better for our health?

Dr. Sara Jean Barrett is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and co-founder of Wellness Minneapolis. She is also the Vice President of the Minnesota Association of Naturopathic Physicians and a Member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Click here to learn more about Dr. Barrett.